PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is hosting UT Permian Basin Saturday afternoon at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena. Before the Greyhounds and Falcons square off, please take a look at the Starting Five:
1.) W Is For Win: ENMU earned a 20-point win over Angelo State Thursday night. The Greyhounds only gave up the lead one time early in the first half before holding a 10+ point advantage for most of the contest.
Jose Murillo continues to be an issue for ASU. In his career, he has two double doubles against the Rams and had another excellent outing inside Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena. Murillo scored 21 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor. He was joined by teammates,
Cougar Downing (19 pts) and
Cooper Jackson (10 pts) in double figures. Eastern New Mexico shot at an incredible clip throughout the game. They hit 29-of-49 (59.2%) from the floor, including a dominating 17-of-25 (68%) in the second half. Both teams finished with ten total steals.
Treyvon Byrd had four of those for Eastern. Thirteen different student-athletes saw action on the floor for ENMU. Nine of those players made a field goal.
2.) Sunflower Sensations: Kansans
Cougar Downing and
Cooper Jackson have been extremely efficient for ENMU. Downing has started in 19 games and is averaging 11.9 points per game. He leads the Lone Star Conference in three-point shooting percentage (44.9%) and has sunk an admirable 48 total three pointers. He had six alone against ASU Thursday night. Jackson has primarily provided support off the bench for ENMU. He recently came back from a midseason injury and is already helping Eastern as they are in the final month of the regular season. Jackson is third in the LSC with 48 total steals and he is posting 10.2 points per outing. The Lawrence, Kan. native converts on 46.8% of his shot attempts.
3.) Murillo's Moment: Jose Murillo has scored 20+ points four times this season for ENMU. All four times have come against conference foes. Murillo has the second most rebounds (124) on the team and leads the conference with 1.3 blocks per game. The junior forward is one of seven players for Eastern with 25+ assists this season. Murillo will face a tough challenge Saturday afternoon. Over five career games against the Falcons, he has never scored in double figures against the LSC west division foe. Going into Saturday's matchup, Murillo has 788 career points, 425 career rebounds, and 112 career blocks.
4.) Hang It Up: Eastern New Mexico Athletics will hang the championship banner recognizing the 2024 Lone Star Conference champions Saturday before the men's game. The contest will also feature recognitions of former ENMU basketball student-athletes and the dedication of the arena in the name of Steve Loy. Fans are asked to get to the game early as doors open at 12 p.m. and the first 750 will receive a commemorative banner recognizing the championship team. The Hounds have only won the LSC tournament title twice in program history with the first taking place in 1993 and the next coming in 2024 during ENMU's push to the NCAA tournament.
5.) Conference Separation: UT Permian Basin is two games ahead of Eastern New Mexico in the race to the Lone Star Conference tournament. The Falcons hold 11 wins in conference play, including seven victories against teams from the west division. UTPB has had the same starting five in every game this season. Four players average 32+ minutes per game for the Falcons. The top scoring weapon is Alex Matthews who puts up 16.5 points per game. He is also the teams leader in rebounds (7.0 rpg) and steals (29). In fact, he is tied with three other teammates who also have 29 total steals. DJ Armstrong will be the name to remember for fans attending the game as he has 60 made three's this year. He made four in the first matchup against ENMU this season. The program is coming off a tough loss to West Texas A&M, 68-54. In the game, UTPB shot poorly and could not find its typical offensive balance.
